EDITEL Journal EN 1/2021 by EDITEL Group

editelJOURNAL C O R P O R AT E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E E D I T E L G R O U P |

PRAGUE

B R AT I S L AVA

BUDAPEST

ZAGREB

KRAKOW

EDITORIAL

VIENNA

Back to the future EDI has been a part of my professional life for more than 18 years. What continues to fascinate me is the fact that EDI is a technology that helps you take a look into the Gerd Marlovits past to find guidance for future CEO challenges. Ultimately, the consistency of EDI technology, which has been an inherent part of supply chains for a long time, is the best and safest basis for future-proof solutions.

Read the article on page 4 to find out how well prepared for the future EDI actually is and what trends are emerging. A trend that EDI has been part of for a long time is minimizing people’s workload and saving time: two examples among many are the Classen Group in Poland (see article on page 2) and Szegedi Paprika in Hungary (see article on page 3).

EDI IN MOTION BEXity, one of Austria’s largest logistics service providers, m oves more than 10,000 merchandise shipments per day. The behind- the-scenes EDI operations, which were entrusted to EDITEL at the beginning of this year, keep up with this speed of business.

“W

e get your products moving, whether in Austria or anywhere else in Europe.“ This is the mission of the former ÖBB subsidiary Q Logistics, which as of 1 January 2020 became part of the German investment company Mutares. The former ”general cargo and warehousing“ business unit of ÖBB-Holding and Quehenberger Logistics has been doing business under the new name of B EXity – an amalgam of the words ”flexibility“ and ”agility“ that also reflects the company‘s tradition and values. And yet, there were much bigger challenges than finding a new name: the entire existing IT infrastructure and with it the entire EDI system had to be removed from the former ÖBB architecture

and transferred to a new environment. All that had to be done during ongoing operations, with as little client involvement as possible and on a tight schedule.

Right on track ”Since we were dealing with time-critical processes involving a high data volume, we realized early on that we needed a true EDI expert with in-depth expertise and the human resources needed for this comprehensive and complex project,“ said Robert Blum, the director of IT at BEXity. The company chose to work with EDITEL, and they focused all their efforts on this monumental task. What made

IN BRIEF How do I make the paperless office a reality at my company? www.editel.eu/highly-automated-processes-and-apaperless-office

When does it pay off to switch from Web EDI to an integrated solution? www.editel.eu/switch-from-web-edi-to-an-integratedsolution

Six tips for companies to increase their chances of getting on retail store shelves www.editel.eu/getting-on-retail-store-shelves

Useful background information about the “Esperanto of the 21st century” www.editel.eu/have-a-good-trip-with-the-edi-standards

A glimpse into the past combined with vast experience working with all kinds of different data formats was what we needed to meet the requirements defined by our new client BEXity. The first large project was all about making tried-and-trusted things ready for the future. I believe we were able to make exactly that happen, as described in our lead article. Also, I am positive that the past year with all its challenges has taught us quite a few lessons that we will benefit from going forward. Happy reading, Gerd Marlovits PS: Have you seen our EDI Blog? Please visit www.editel.eu/edi-blog for periodic information and interesting news from the world of EDI.

ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE DI in motion 1 ESmooth technical transition during ongoing operations n brief IOther news from the EDITEL Group DI in motion – continued 2 ESmooth technical transition during ongoing operations at Classen Group EDI Better be safe than sorry Paprika 3 SThezegedi recipe for successful communication B Thelockchain digital consignment note in a real-life scenario uo vEDIs 4 QEmerging trends in EDI E It´sDI.Care.Love all about love

The EDITEL JOURNAL is published as a supplement to GS1 Information in a total of 13,000 copies. It is available in German, English as well as in Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and Croatian for our international clients. To download the Journal as an epaper, please visit www.editel.eu/ editel-journal. If you have any suggestions, please contact us at info@editel.at

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ABOUT BEXITY BEXity GmbH operates a comprehensive Austria-wide general cargo network, is the market leader for cross-border transport logistics and warehouse services on the Austrian market and provides a wide range of services to renowned clients. The company was fully acquired by the Mutares Group in late 2019, employs approximately 800 and in 2019 achieved sales of roughly EUR 210 million.

IN BRIEF mooth technical transition during ongoing S operations and on a tight schedule Full EDI operations from a single source (”managed EDI services“) Project management by EDITEL involving all stakeholders Migration of EDI processes with 250 partners and onboarding process for 20 new partners Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the project was fully managed online

this task particularly challenging was mostly the myriad digital processes, which go well beyond the traditional ”order2cash“ procedure. At a logistics company of this size, many different data formats and processes, e.g., transport orders, consignment notes and invoices, are handled every day. And all these involve business partners who rely on many different communication channels. In total, approximately 250 EDI partners had to be migrated to the new environment on a very tight schedule following a strict security protocol. At the same time, 20 new partners had to be connected to the system. Another difficulty was the surrounding IT infrastructure that is a prerequisite for all EDI operations: among other things, five different locations and several IT systems had to be merged, which required a significant amount of coordination with other IT service providers who also worked on this project. In general, this was a very

challenging task. That is why ” EDITEL was determined, from the very beginning, to manage the migration within the tight schedule without jeopardizing ongoing operations at B EXity in any way,“ said Gerd Marlovits, the CEO of EDITEL.

Moving things along EDITEL successfully completed all necessary tasks by the project deadline. This meant that in just under nine months, everything that needed to happen did happen: moving an entire EDI system from one place to another without affecting ongoing operations in any way. It’s worth pointing out that due to the pandemic, none of the involved persons met in person during the entire course of the project. This means that all business and organizational decisions were made during virtual meetings. According to EDITEL project manager Jan Reichetzeder, it was ”mostly thanks to the continuous and

good collaboration with our client“ that everything went so smoothly despite the difficult circumstances. This was also key for the client side: ”EDITEL took the initiative to manage communication processes with our EDI business partners and the previous ÖBB service providers, which turned out to be extremely useful for every body involved,“ said Robert Blum. ”As the EDI service provider of choice, we reached all project goals, which established a solid basis for future projects with BEXity,“ said Gerd Marlovits, who looks forward to continuing on this high-speed journey. n

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EDI AT CLASSEN GROUP Document digitalization and process automation go hand in hand with the ever-faster digital revolution we have witnessed in the past decade. CLASSEN Group has consistently implemented EDI communication as the document exchange of choice with its business partners. This service is provided by EDISON S.A., a member of EDITEL Group. For a company with numerous clients located all over Europe, maintaining smooth logistics and supply chain processes is a true challenge. Nowadays, it is next to impossible to ensure a maximum level of delivery quality, on-time delivery and avoiding out-of-stock situations without using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). It

ABOUT CLASSEN The CLASSEN Group has been in the home furnishing business for over five decades and operates one of the world’s largest flooring factories. In addition to floor panels, the company’s comprehensive range of products includes doors, kitchen furniture, and finishing materials. CLASSEN Group’s clients are DIY stores, wholesalers, and specialized retailers. CLASSEN sells its products throughout Europe. It delivers to chains such as OBI, Bauhaus, Hornbach, Merkury, Castorama (KingFisher) and Leroy Merlin, i.e., the leading DIY chains located mainly in central and eastern Europe. CLASSEN was founded in 1963 in Kaisersesch, Germany, where the company‘s head office and one of its production plants are still located. On the Polish market, the company is present with three companies: Classen-Pol S.A., Classen Floors Systems Sp. z o.o. and RuckZuck.biz Sp. z o.o. The production plant located in Poland (in Zwonowice near Rybnik) employs over 500 people, and the production lines and warehouse spaces cover an area of nearly 46,000 m2.

was the vast experience within the DIY industry and its ability to deliver international projects that prompted Classen to make EDISON S.A., EDITEL’s Polish subsidiary, its EDI provider of choice. Since an existing EDI system had to be replaced, the smooth transition of all EDI operations was a priority. At the same time, the business had to continue growing and new clients didn’t want to be left waiting to get connected to the EDI system. In a nutshell: there was plenty of work to do.

Project milestones In view of the company’s considerable scale, it is worth mentioning that the implementation went even much faster than initially expected. All deliverables were completed two months ahead of schedule, which was certainly a result of the excellent collaboration between both parties and CLASSEN Group’s existing set up for sophisticated EDI processes including the GS1 standards the company has been using for years. In terms of figures, the achievements of this 12-month project period were quite impressive: more than 40 business partners across 14 countries (Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Hungary, Esto-

nia, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg) were either migrated from the previous EDI solution or onboarded successfully. It is not surprising that such a large customer base goes hand in hand with a large variety of different communication needs (SFTP, X.400, AS2, etc.) as well as data formats, which increases complexity. It was for this challenge that CLASSEN Group was able to rely on EDISON S.A.’s tried and tested technology and also on the international reach of its parent company EDITEL.

Better be safe than sorry There was more to this project than the successful implementation of a new EDI solution. These mission-cri-

tical services require expert care as well as maintenance. In addition to monitoring all operations, EDISON operates its helpdesk on a 24/7 basis, which is a must in such an international environment. Also, to be on the safe side, the CLASSEN Group relies on EDISON’s long-term archive for electronic invoices. The CLASSEN Group is now all set for tackling the next digitalization milestones. Roughly 40 partners are scheduled to be connected to the system shortly. While this is a substantial challenge, with the help of the right partner – EDISON – the task is certainly manageable. n classengroup.com/en

Project scope

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ABOUT SZEGEDI PAPRIKA ZRT. Szegedi Paprika ZRt., which employs roughly 300 people, is the largest producer of canned meat in Hungary. Its main business line is the production of canned food and meat as well as the production and distribution of ground paprika. The canning business accounts for most of the company’s annual sales, which exceed HUF 6 billion. In addition to ready-to-eat meals, their product range includes sandwich sauces, meat pies, and minced meat as well as hot peppers and other condiments. The company’s goose liver products and ground pepper from Szeged have received the Hungarikum certification. The products of Szegedi Paprika ZRt. are distributed domestically by all multinational and domestic retailers. The company also has significant export activities to neighboring countries.

THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION AT SZEGEDI PAPRIKA ZRT. Szegedi Paprika ZRt. works heart and soul to combine traditions with new solutions. While the company is on a constant quest for new flavors, it does not leave business communication to chance. EDITEL‘s Electronic Data Interchange solutions put the company in a position to process orders quickly and error-free, to the greatest satisfaction of its business partners.

Cooking instructions The decision was facilitated by the fact that the other members of the group were already using the EDITEL solu tion, which meant that they knew how good and reliable the products are and what it is like to work with EDITEL. Thus, after the final quote was received, the choice fell on EDITEL. Since the primary goal was to reduce time and effort required for manual order processing, Szegedi Paprika ZRt. decided to implement EDI communication and digital archiving services.

Unexpected obstacles Fortunately, the necessary technical environment was already in place, which meant that the introduction of the new solution did not require any changes at the system level. From the very start of the project, the company was able to capitalize on its previous experience from

The final result Thanks to the introduction of the new solution, communication processes became faster and more efficient, and this did not go unnoticed by users. “Our co-workers had become used to handling the previous system, so they were understandably somewhat skeptical of the new solution. However, they

soon came around when they saw the benefits of EDITEL’s system, so at the end of the day, everybody was happy,” said Lászlóné Kovács, a senior IT expert at Szegedi Paprika ZRt. Thanks to the efficient collaboration with EDITEL, the project was completed on time, which was especially appreciated by the business partners of Szegedi Paprika ZRt. The company’s management’s decision to introduce EDI communication was a very wise one. After all, just as for the company’s products, three things are key: high-quality ingredients, a good recipe, and the right

team of people to prepare the very best solution. n

szegedipaprika.hu

In addition to the production of allspice and traditional canned food, Szegedi Paprika ZRt. manufactures premium quality goose and duck liver products. The company is also fully committed to meeting customer specifications. As their company policy says, ”Increase consumer satisfaction and sales volume through continuous market research and the introduction of new products.“ To be able to deliver products in the right quantity and at the time needed by clients, the company had previously used a web-based EDI solution that allowed it to exchange data electronically with its partners easily and from anywhere via an internet connection. In view of the company’s growth and the increasing number of partners, a more modern, integrated solution was needed. This is where EDITEL came in as a possible EDI service provider.

using Web EDI. The biggest technical challenge was for the existing ERP system to work seamlessly with EDI. This task was beautifully mastered by the hard-working EDITEL team.

THE DIGITAL CONSIGNMENT NOTE ECMR IN A REAL-LIFE SCENARIO During a project initiated by the “Blockchain Initiative Logistik,” the digital consignment note eCMR was successfully used for a test shipment by Wildenhofer, a freight forwarding company, for the very first time.

n the first project phase, it became evident, at least in theory, that the blockchain technology was the right choice for the digitalization of consignment notes. The second phase revolved around the development of a comprehensive and advanced solution for the professional use in real-life scenarios. The first test shipments were definitely the most exciting and final part of this phase. One of them was initiated by EDITEL and performed by the renowned Salzburg-based freight forwarding company Wildenhofer. The merchandise sender and recipient were also part of this test run.

It’s all about the ingredients

According to the senior officer Rudolf Mieser at Wildenhofer, this test shipment was ”not only highly ex citing, but also a landmark experience because we and our business partners will benefit from the advantages of the process in the future. Gerd Marlovits, the CEO of EDITEL, sees this practical test run

and the resulting important insight regarding usability as ”valuable feedback for choosing the next steps in the development process.“ After the conclusion of the practical phase, the third and last phase started in early May. This phase revolves mostly around building a platform that can be widely used in the entire industry. The focus will be on the technical and organizational integration of additional partners. For detailed information about the ”Blockchain Initiative Logistik,“ please visit editel.eu/tag/blockchain-en

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QUO vEDIs – EMERGING TRENDS IN ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE

ore than 400 million transactions per year are impressive testimony to the fact that the EDI service eXite is well positioned for the future. More and more areas of application are added to the service on a continuous basis. One of the emerging trends is to connect presuppliers as well, which ensures consistent data quality through the production and delivery chain. This ultimately benefits everybody involved. EDI makes the entire ”order2cash“ process for all involved business partners fully digital, from electronically received orders all the way to i nvoicing. As a result, manual processes and the related room for mistakes become either completely obsolete or are reduced to a minimum. Integrated Web EDI portals offer great options for SMEs to explore this digital world.

Another increasingly important issue is automated master data matchup between business partners. This is a must for successful and accurate data ex change and can easily be done using the GDSN-certified data pool GS1 Sync. All article-related information (name, weight, etc.) can be made available to all trading partners. In addition, all information can be updated on a permanent basis. It is plain to see that issues related to origin and traceability will play an even bigger role in the future and that these are very hard to implement without digital assistance. Last but not least, public authorities are also important drivers of digitalization. This extends beyond the obligation for suppliers who work for Austrian federal agencies to submit their invoices electro-

nically. eXite has been offering nu merous connections to public authorities and organizations (Federal Computing Center BRZ, Ministry of Finance BMF, Financial Supervisory Authority FMA, Federal Procurement Agency BBG, Statistics Austria, Austrian Health Insurance, etc.) and the number is growing. Via EDITEL‘s data hub, European manufacturers of medical products can even be connected to the American approval authority FDA. Similar ideas to digitalize the healthcare industry exist in Europe. In the future, the relevance of such special connections, both in terms of communication channel and data format, is expected to increase even further. After all, many companies would love to have the convenience of a single connection that allows them to reach both their

EDI.CARE.LOVE – IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE A lot of love goes into the high-quality organic NUSSYY® products. Recently, Carina Rahimi-Pirngruber, the founder of NUSSYY®, also fell in love with EDI. t all started in 2016 when food intolerance forced Carina Rahimi-Pirngruber to rethink her diet. Following her initial experiments with nuts and spices in her home kitchen, she soon developed her own product line with the goal of pairing excellent taste with unsurpassed quality: this was how NUSSYY® was created. It is safe to say that this entrepreneur, who is originally from northern Upper Austria, scored a resounding success: as of today, NUSSYY® has more than 45 organic products, ranging from organic bars, organic muesli, organic cookies, and organic crackers to organic ready-made meals. These are exclusively sold at SPAR, INTERSPAR, EUROSPAR and Maximarkt stores. EAT.CARE.LOVE – this is the principle that guides Carina Rahimi-Pirngruber in her personal life and inspires her products. It is also the name of the project she launched with primatologist Jane Goodall in an effort to promote awareness for the responsible use of resources.

Whatever Carina Rahimi-Pirngruber does, she does with love and passion. And that is true even for ”dry“ subjects such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Ms. Rahi mi-Pirngruber was first exposed to it when she started expanding her range of products and realized that ”more business documents also mean more work.“ Since this additional workload was going to be unmanageable for a small business in the long run, she needed a solution. Enter EDI, and with it EDITEL. Within just one month, all orders and invoices at NUSSYY® were

switched from the existing BMD system to EDI transactions. ”It was mostly Ms. Rahimi-Pirngruber‘s efficient and targeted approach that allowed us to make things happen so quickly,“ said Christoph Stenech, EDITEL‘s sales director. This praise was promptly reciprocated: ” EDITEL provided excellent assistance from day one, which allowed me to slowly explore the unknown territory of EDI,“ Ms. Rahimi-Pirngruber said. She is also excited about the ”massive time savings associated with this digitization process.“ In addition, Ms. Rahimi-Pirngruber highlighted the fact that ”it is very much in line with the sustainability mindset that underlies all NUSSYY® products.“ The company plans to expand EDI operations to include other business partners, which means that the love story might continue. Always true to the guiding principle: EDI.CARE. LOVE. nussyy.at

More than 20,000 companies are already connected to the EDI service eXite. Users appreciate this service‘s high availability and its continuous evolvement. Some noteworthy trends are on the horizon.

clients and business partners in the private economy and public authorities. EDITEL caters to this need and acts as a full-service EDI provider. In this age and time, it is imperative for everybody to evolve on a constant basis. This includes teaming up with business partners to check the practical application of new technologies. One such example is EDITEL‘s participation in the ”Blockchain Initiative Logistik“ (together with EY, LKW Walter, DB Schenker, Vienna University of Economics and Business, BVL, GS1 Austria). n

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IMPRINT ISSUE 1/2021 Owner and publisher: EDITEL Austria GmbH, 1040 Vienna, Brahmsplatz 3; T: +43 (0)1/505 86 02; e-mail: info@editel.at www.editel.eu EDITEL Austria GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GS1 Austria GmbH. The corporate objective of EDITEL Austria GmbH is the electronic data exchange between business partners, the sale of the required software and support services. Management and responsible for the content: Gerd Marlovits Editorial staff: Daniela Paar, Anja Jung Proofreading : Dagmar Jenner, www.texterei.com Translations: English: Dagmar Jenner, www.texterei.com Czech and Slovak: Martina Pokornà, Linda Stanislavová Hungarian: Adrienn Horváth, Bettina Hernádi-Szekeres Croatian: Nataša Burič, Marija Lunjek Layout: www.creativedirector.cc Disclosure pursuant to Austrian Media Law as amended in March 2009: the purpose of this newsletter is the promotion and support of EDITEL Austria‘s business activities.